Pet Loss
The Rainbow Bridge Poem: Who Wrote It, What It Means, and Original Poems
Who really wrote the Rainbow Bridge poem (a Scottish teenager in 1959), how it spread, why it is still under copyright, and three original pet loss poems you can use freely.
“Crossed the Rainbow Bridge” is one of the most common ways people say a pet has died. The phrase comes from a short prose poem, usually called Rainbow Bridge, that has been shared at vet clinics, on sympathy cards and across the internet for decades. For most of that time nobody knew who wrote it. That changed in 2023.
This page covers what the poem is about, who wrote it and how that was confirmed, why we don’t reprint it here, and three little original poems you’re welcome to use in your pet’s tribute.
What the Rainbow Bridge Poem Is About
The poem describes a green, sunny meadow just this side of heaven where pets go when they die. There, they are healthy and young again, with plenty of food, water and friends. They are happy, but each one misses the person they left behind. One day a pet notices someone in the distance, recognizes them and runs to meet them, and the two cross the Rainbow Bridge together.
Its comfort comes from two simple promises: that the pet is no longer suffering, and that the separation is not permanent.
Who Wrote the Rainbow Bridge Poem
The poem was written in 1959 by Edna Clyne-Rekhy, a Scottish artist, when she was 19 and grieving her Labrador Retriever, Major. She never published it. She typed copies for friends without her name on them, and those copies spread on their own.
Her authorship was traced by art historian Paul Koudounaris, who was researching pet cemeteries. He found more than a dozen copyright claims filed for poems titled “Rainbow Bridge” starting in the 1990s, worked through about 25 possible authors, and eventually reached Clyne-Rekhy in January 2023. She confirmed she wrote it, and he examined her original handwritten draft. National Geographic reported the finding in February 2023, when she was 82. Read National Geographic’s report.
How It Spread
- 1959: written in Scotland and passed between friends as unsigned typed copies.
- Early 1990s: printed in pet rescue newsletters and posted to early internet newsgroups, usually as “author unknown.”
- 1994: printed in the Dear Abby advice column after a reader sent in a copy, which introduced it to millions of readers.
- Since then: reprinted on cards, plaques and websites, and turned into everyday shorthand for a pet’s death.
Over the years several people claimed it or similar poems. The idea of a bridge between worlds is also much older; writers often point to the rainbow bridge Bifröst in Norse mythology as an earlier echo, though the poem itself is a modern work.
Why We Don’t Reprint the Poem
Because the author is known and the poem dates from 1959, it is still under copyright. Copies online usually appear without permission. We would rather point you to the story of the real author than copy her words. If you want to use the poem itself on something you print or sell, ask a lawyer or seek permission first.
Three Original Poems You Can Use
We wrote these for Furbituary. You are welcome to copy them into your pet’s tribute, a card or a social post. Change any word that doesn’t fit.
The Long Way Home
You took the long way home today,
past every tree you knew,
and left your leash beside the door
the way you used to do.
I’ll keep the porch light on for you,
I’ll leave the gate ajar.
Run on ahead and find the sun.
I know just where you are.
Still Here
The house is quiet, but not empty.
Your bowl is put away,
but I still step around the place
where you would sleep all day.
Love doesn’t leave when someone goes.
It stays, the way you’d stay,
curled up and warm and close to me
at the end of every day.
For a Small Friend
You were small enough to hold
in two cupped hands,
and big enough to fill
a whole house with your noise.
Thank you for every morning.
Rest easy, little one.
Gentle Ways to Say a Pet Has Died
Not everyone connects with the Rainbow Bridge, and that’s okay. Some other gentle ways people say it in tributes and announcements:
- “Ran ahead of us.”
- “Went to sleep for the last time, at home, with us.”
- “Is waiting for us somewhere sunny.”
- “Was with us for fourteen good years.”
- Simply: “died,” which many people find more honest and less awkward than a euphemism.
Questions People Ask
What Does “Crossed the Rainbow Bridge” Mean?
It means a pet has died. The phrase comes from the Rainbow Bridge poem, in which pets wait in a meadow and later cross the bridge together with their people.
Is the Rainbow Bridge Poem Religious?
It doesn’t belong to any religion. It describes a place “this side of heaven,” and people of many faiths and none use it.
Can I Put the Rainbow Bridge Poem on a Memorial Product?
The poem is still under copyright, so don’t put it on anything you sell without permission or legal advice. For a free tribute, consider one of the original poems above instead.
Where Can I Write a Tribute for My Pet?
You can create a free tribute on Furbituary with their story, dates and photos, and add one of the poems above. Our guide on how to write a pet obituary can help you get started.